Pro-Israel forces attempt to silence University of California professor:Panel Defends Robinson

On January 19 University of California Santa Barbara sociology Professor William Robinson sent an email to students on the roster of his Global Affairs course in which he compared the Israeli occupation of Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto. He was subsequently brought up on disciplinary charges by the Academic Senate of the university, as well as subjected to harassment and persecution by pro-Israeli elements.
-----------and an update:
Panel Defends Robinson

Committee to Defend Academic Freedom Hosts Public Panel of Professors

link: http://www.independent.com/news/2009/may/23/panel-defends-robinson/

The ongoing saga of UCSB sociology professor William Robinson and his now-infamous email continued last night during a dramatic panel held at Embarcadero Hall in Isla Vista. Four panelists universally defended Robinson and his decision to circulate a blog posting that juxtaposed images of Jews from the Holocaust with images of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip among students within his Sociology of Globalization class. The professor is being investigated for charges of academic misconduct by UCSB's Academic Senate after two of his students filed a complaint about the email in January. The case has subsequently garnered worldwide attention. Although Robinson was present at Thursday evening's event, he did not address the crowd.
The ongoing saga of UCSB sociology professor William Robinson and his now-infamous email continued last night during a dramatic panel held at Embarcadero Hall in Isla Vista.
Click to enlarge photo

Tyler Hayden

The ongoing saga of UCSB sociology professor William Robinson and his now-infamous email continued last night during a dramatic panel held at Embarcadero Hall in Isla Vista.

The event, attended by more than 200 students, faculty, and interested area residents, was hosted by the Committee to Defend Academic Freedom that was founded in the immediate wake of the misconduct accusations lobbed at Robinson. The non-funded group’s stance, as stated in a brief welcoming address, centers around what they feel is a mishandling of the Robinson case. According to the committee, the volunteer members believe it is their responsibility to fairly and accurately disseminate relevant information to counter alleged attempts by the university and Robinson’s accusers to keep the reprisal processes behind closed doors.

Unsurprisingly, the sensitive nature of the incident and the subsequent university-based case against Robinson elicited strong emotions from both sides throughout the night’s proceedings. Although there was not much opportunity for open debate, tempers and voices gained heat and momentum as the night went on — there was no shortage of “harrumphs,” “guffaws,” and unbridled outbursts. The majority of the audience appeared to support Robinson, yet the contingent of those opposed to the sociology professor’s teaching tactics certainly made their presence known by consistently interrupting the proceedings with fervent interjections. The most frenzied drama occurred toward the end of the evening during the question and answer session, as impassioned audience members addressed the panel and crowd.
-----------more at this link:
http://www.independent.com/news/2009/may/23/panel-defends-robinson/